Prompted by complaints from challenger William "Dock" Walls, the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners last week began reviewing the petitions submitted by the Daley campaign.

Walls had claimed that Daley did not have the required 12,500 signatures, but officials said they halted their review of the mayor's petitions once they had confirmed more than 14,000 valid signatures.

Daley's campaign manager, Terry Peterson, said the board's announcement vindicated his assertion that the vast majority of signatures for the mayor were valid.

"It's time that we stop wasting taxpayers' money in this frivolous objection to the petitions," Peterson said. "Today's announcement speaks to the hard work of men and women around the city who circulated petitions on the mayor's behalf."

Walls said Monday he was giving up his effort to have Daley removed from the ballot.

"We're confident that we can beat Mayor Daley on Election Day," Walls said.

Still, Walls said the failed attempt to disqualify the mayor represented "a shot over the bow of Daley's sinking ship."

Daley's campaign turned in more than 28,000 signatures. Walls' supporters had challenged the validity of about 19,000 signatures.

Election officials and a handwriting expert had spent several days reviewing signatures on Daley's petitions.